NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Bills signing safety Geno Stone to 1-year deal

    Bills signing safety Geno Stone to 1-year deal

    NFL free agency has been helpful to the Buffalo Bills’ roster-building endeavor under new head coach Joe Brady and new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. Hoping to refine a group that became an eventual strength last season, Buffalo is reportedly signing free-agent safety Geno Stone to a one-year contract, per a report by Jordan Schultz.

    Stone entered the NFL as a seventh-round selection with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2020 NFL Draft.

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    Stone joins the Bills after a two-year stint with the Cincinnati Bengals where he started 34 games. During the 2025 NFL season, Stone made 104 tackles (65 solo), four tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, two sacks, four pass defenses, two interceptions, and one interception returned for a touchdown.

    However, Stone also led the NFL in missed tackles during the 2025 season, totaling 26 missed stops. He had plenty of company from teammates, where half of the top six players in missed tackles were Bengals defenders (3rd: Jordan Battle with 21; 6th: Demetrius Knight with 18).

    What Stone brings to One Bills Drive is a wealth of NFL experience. The soon-to-be-27-year-old Stone has played in every game for his teams in the last four seasons, making a total of 52 starts in those 68 games. Now entering his seventh season, Stone has started 53 of 83 games played since his rookie year, making 312 tackles (205 solo), five tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, two sacks, 21 pass defenses, 14 interceptions (for 246 yards), two interceptions returned for touchdowns, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. (All stats courtesy Pro Football Reference.)

    After signing free-agent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year deal earlier in the week, the Bills doubled down in adding Stone. It remains to be seen who will take up the mantle at starting safety alongside Bishop, but early thoughts envision a competition between Gardner-Johnson and Stone. At minimum, Stone brings a lot of starting experience should he be called upon,…

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  • Rutgers Football 2026 Win Total Odds Placed at 4.5 Wins

    Rutgers Football 2026 Win Total Odds Placed at 4.5 Wins

    Fanduel has released its over/ under win total odds for the 2026 college football season, with Rutgers’ over under line being listed at 4.5, which means that the odds heavily favor the Scarlet Knights missing a bowl game for the second straight year. The golden number of wins for any Power Four team trying to reach a bowl game is 6, with Fanduel’s projection falling more than a game short of that.

    Rutgers football schedule features some great challenges, but it also features some severe dips in competition. It is expected that the Knights will breeze through their non-conference slate against UMass, Boston College, and Howard, while struggling with their Big Ten slate, as per usual.

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    The biggest challenges of the 2026 Big Ten conference slate for Rutgers are more than likely going to be USC, Indiana, and Michigan. However, the Knights do have more winnable conference games next season against opponents such as Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Wisconsin. Rutgers will more than likely have to find a way to pull off three conference wins if they want to return to postseason play.

    The Knights’ earlier games against Boston College and Maryland will likely be the most telling on the schedule, as they are the best early-season benchmarks given both teams’ results from last season and their status in power conferences. It’s hard to imagine Rutgers not being favored in both of these games, but how well they perform, especially at quarterback and on defense, will go a long way in revealing what the rest of the season might have in store for the team.

    The Knights’ games against Michigan State, Northwestern, Wisconsin, and Nebraska will likely dictate how their season will go, as they will more than likely have to find at least two wins out of these four opponents to earn bowl eligibility. The…

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  • NFL free agency: Jaguars GM dispels ‘fraudulent’ Brian Thomas Jr. trade rumors

    NFL free agency: Jaguars GM dispels ‘fraudulent’ Brian Thomas Jr. trade rumors

    There was chatter on the heels of a disappointing season for wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. that the Jacksonville Jaguars were open to trading their young weapon, but the message from inside the facility is that Thomas is not on the market.

    Thomas is a name to monitor for the New York Jets, who have shown interest in him dating back to last season’s trade deadline, according to multiple reports. Despite the reported belief that the Jaguars are listening to offers, though, general manager James Gladstone said there have been no meaningful discussions about moving Thomas and that they have not received an offer for the 23-year-old.

    “There hasn’t been a ton of dialogue around that front as teams check in, simply because it seems like there’s — I know the word ‘reputable’ came up earlier — I don’t think there’s been any reputable statement,” Gladstone said on a conference call with reporters. “We don’t have any real action on any of those fronts.”

    While the Jaguars took a leap forward by winning 13 games for the second time in franchise history, they did so with Thomas producing significantly less than in his historic rookie season. He battled injuries and drops to post just 48 catches compared to the 87 he racked up as a Pro Bowler the year prior, and he scored just two touchdowns after racking up 10 in 2024.

    Still, the Jaguars say they view Thomas as an integral part of an aerial scheme that was much more prolific in Year 1 of the Liam Coen era than it was in the final year under Doug Pederson.

    “You think back to where we landed at the end of the season, where our passing attack was, we have no interest in disrupting the momentum,” Gladstone said. “We look forward to continuing to build off of where we left things and know that Brian Thomas is a big piece to that puzzle. We don’t want to make sure that that gets disrupted at any time.”

    Thomas would undoubtedly command a competitive…

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  • Falcons’ James Pearce Jr. charged with three felonies: What we know

    Falcons’ James Pearce Jr. charged with three felonies: What we know

    Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. was charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor related to a Feb. 7 incident involving WNBA player Rickea Jackson.

    Per circuit court documents, Miami-Dade County (Florida) State Attorney Katherine Rundle filed the following charges against Pearce:

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    Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon (felony)

    Fleeing and eluding police (felony)

    Resisting an officer with violence (felony)

    Two more charges of aggravated battery and aggravated stalking were dropped.

    Jackson filed a protective order earlier this week and said she was “in fear of my life” and believed “James will kill me” after the Feb. 7 incident in which Pearce allegedly drove his vehicle into hers while she was attempting to flee to a police station in Doral, Florida.

    Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez stated that Pearce crashed the vehicle he was driving after fleeing the scene of a dispute at Doral police headquarters.

    Pearce was arrested that day on two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated stalking, fleeing and eluding police officers and aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer. He was released from custody a day later on $20,500 bond.

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    The Falcons released the following statement after his release:

    “We are aware of an incident involving James Pearce Jr., in Miami. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not have any further comment on an open legal matter at this time.”

    Jackson separately filed a notice stating that she would testify against Pearce in court proceedings. A hearing for her protection request is set for April 21. Pearce is not allowed to contact Jackson or be within 500 feet of her, her vehicle, her home or her place of work.

    Jackson and Pearce were both star athletes at the University of Tennessee; Jackson on the women’s basketball team, Pearce on the football team. Jackson was selected No. 4 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. Pearce was…

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  • The future of college sports is up for national debate. What’s at stake?

    The future of college sports is up for national debate. What’s at stake?

    It’s the football offseason, so that means it’s time for months of proposals and anxieties about the future of college sports. 

    The famed White House summit last week, with over 50 people from various backgrounds, convened to discuss the issues. And perhaps in the future, an Executive Order might follow that will, in the words of President Donald Trump, “solve all of the problems” in college sports. 

    Louisville’s president, athletic director and chairman of the Board of Trustees released yet another white paper (that’s academic speak for fancy proposal) outlining why, as is the popular talking point, college sports are in a crisis and at an inflection point. The Louisville paper comes after a paper from the Big Ten and the SEC, authored jointly, in which they argued about the consolidation of media rights. The paper from the “Power 2” conferences is in direct response to lobbying by Texas Tech mega-booster Cody Campbell, who was all over your TVs last fall.

    NCAA will continue tampering investigations despite Big Ten’s request for moratorium

    Brad Crawford

    This is all the territory of lawyers and lobbyists, where billable hours are the only thing that remains undefined, and the signaling is much more directed at Congress and state legislatures than it is to the regular fan, despite Campbell’s imploring you to call your member of Congress to save college sports….

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  • John Harbaugh heading to Giants, divisional round picks, best SB matchups

    John Harbaugh heading to Giants, divisional round picks, best SB matchups

    Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

    We are now in Day 4 of free agency. I haven’t slept in 72 hours, I don’t know what the outside world looks like anymore and I have an IV of Red Bull inserted directly into my veins, but it’s all been worth it, because free agency has been a wild ride. 

    We’re going to continue our free agency coverage today by handing out some grades, plus we’ll be taking a look at the biggest surprises that free agency has brought us so far. Also, I should point out that there will be deals going on all day, and if you want to stay on top of all those deals, then you’re definitely going to want to click here so you can follow all the action in our free agency live blog. 

    If you’re too busy to follow a live blog, we have a full team-by-team list of every signing that has been made during free agency and you can check that out here. Alright, let’s get to the good stuff. 

    As always, here’s your reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. 

    1. 10 biggest surprises of free agency: Crosby trade tops the list

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    There haven’t been many huge splashes in free agency this year, but 2026 will likely be remembered for a long time around the NFL and that’s mostly because we saw one of the biggest offseason surprises ever go down this week when the Ravens decided to back out of the Maxx Crosby trade. 

    With that in mind, Jordan Dajani went through and came up with the 10 biggest surprises of the week and we’re going to check out his top five. 

    1. Maxx Crosby trade falls through. Without a doubt, the most surprising surprise of free agency is the Maxx Crosby trade falling through. And if you think this has nothing to do with free agency, consider that it alters the Ravens’ plans (They ended up…

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  • Blue-chip 2028 CB impressed by FSU’s history, tradition

    Blue-chip 2028 CB impressed by FSU’s history, tradition

    The FSU Seminoles are working on growing their 2027 recruiting class, which currently has five commitments. However, they are also working on their 2028 recruiting class and are now set to host one of the top players for a visit.

    Jermaine Cobbins, a four-star cornerback from Springfield, Tennessee, will visit Tallahassee on April 2, according to Tom Loy of 247Sports. It will be his first visit, and it will give them a chance to make a move for a player coveted by teams across the country. He explained to Loy what stands out about the Seminoles in his recruitment.

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    “Florida State stands out because of its historic success and tradition of producing great players,” he said. “I like how the coaching staff focuses on speed, athleticism, and developing players into leaders on and off the field.”

    Cobbins is ranked as the No. 36 overall player and No. 4 cornerback in the 247Sports composite. The 6-foot-1, 175-pounder is also the No. 1 player from Tennessee.

    He had an excellent sophomore season at Springfield High School, where he played cornerback and wide receiver. He finished the season with 41 tackles, one interception, one pass breakup, and two forced fumbles on defense. He caught 41 passes for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense.

    Contact/Follow us @FSUWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of FSU news, notes, and opinions.

    This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU football’s history and tradition stand out to Jermaine Cobbins

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  • Free agent offensive tackle Yosh Nijman retires

    Free agent offensive tackle Yosh Nijman retires

    Yosh Nijman, an offensive tackle who officially became a free agent this week after playing the last two years for the Panthers, has announced his retirement.

    “After seven incredible years in the NFL, I’ve decided it’s time to officially step away from the game of football,” Nijman wrote on social media.

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    The 30-year-old Nijman started four games last season and the Panthers were believed to want him back, and he would have had options elsewhere as well. But he says it’s time to move on.

    “Football has given me so much, but I’m excited for the next chapter of life and the new ways God will use me moving forward. The lessons, memories, and relationships from this game will stay with me forever,” he wrote.

    Nijman signed with the Packers as an undrafted rookie out of Virginia Tech in 2019 and stayed in Green Bay for five seasons before signing a two-year contract with the Panthers in 2024.

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